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Confidence
Fair - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
A dry ridge of high pressure will maintain valley cloud and mainly clear conditions in the alpine for Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday, however, the ridge is forecast to flatten out allowing for a pacific system to track eastward through the province. Increased cloud is expected by late Thursday afternoon. Winds should be mostly light to moderate from the northwest, switching to moderate and southwesterly on Thursday. Freezing levels should remain at or near valley bottom, although a sharp inversion is forecast for Wednesday with above-freezing temperatures in the alpine.
Avalanche Summary
No recent avalanches have been reported.
Snowpack Summary
A dusting of new snow may overlie a melt-freeze crust which exists below treeline and on south-facing slopes. In upper elevation terrain, these modest accumulations overlie hard, stubborn wind slabs. Up to 75 cm below the surface you may find a hard, thick crust which formed mid-December. This crust has overlying facets and/or surface hoar. This layer seems variably reactive throughout the region. In areas where the overlying slab is thick and cohesive, large avalanches are possible at this interface. A crust/facet combo which formed in November seems to have gone dormant for the time being.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.
Persistent Slabs
Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.